American Oversight Sues Trump Administration for Records on Politicized Review of Epstein Files

Today, we sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for failing to release records related to the Trump administration’s controversial review of materials about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including his connections to President Trump.

Our lawsuit seeks to answer unresolved questions about how Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel may have intervened in or steered the review of the Epstein files — and why the process appeared designed to protect Donald Trump by instructing FBI personnel to flag records mentioning the president.

“Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Patel promised a transparent review of the Epstein files, but instead the administration produced little more than a political fig leaf,” said Chioma Chukwu, Executive Director of American Oversight. “Our lawsuit seeks the records that can help show how Bondi, Patel, and others may have put their thumbs on the scale of this review to protect Donald Trump. The public has a right to know whether this process was guided by facts and law — or by political loyalty.”

In July, the DOJ and the FBI issued a short, unsigned memo claiming that an “exhaustive review” of the government’s Epstein files found no “client list” and no evidence to support the investigation of uncharged individuals. That finding contradicted earlier statements from Bondi, who publicly asserted she had an Epstein client list “sitting on [her] desk,” and raised new questions about the integrity of the review. 

A report from Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin revealed that FBI staff were instructed to single out mentions of Trump, further deepening concerns about political interference.

Our Freedom of Information Act requests seek communications, training materials, and internal guidance provided to DOJ and FBI staff during the review of the Epstein files, as well as any dissent expressed by agency staff regarding the review. To date, the agencies have failed to turn over responsive records, prompting today’s lawsuit.